Side Effects
by nalunatics
Summary: Natsu and Lucy sit down to share a strawberry smoothie, only to find out that Mira has made it 'extra special' for them that day. Perhaps Mira's meddling can have greater effects than initially presumed... Nalu. T because of language and it's a bit suggestive. (Request from tumblr!)


Lucy sat with Natsu at the bar, eagerly waiting for their strawberry smoothie. It had become a thing that they had started doing after finding out that they both had a serious addiction to the drink Mira had concocted. They'd share one, though Lucy knew Natsu could take one on himself, there was no way she could finish the monstrous drink.

"Here you two are," Mira set down the large glass between them, two straws poking out of the pink liquid. "Enjoy!" Mira grinned and Lucy thanked her, sipping at the drink greedily. She had to drink it quick otherwise Natsu would take advantage of her slowness and slurp down the whole thing.

"Aw, this is so good, Mira! Thanks!" Natsu wiped his mouth with his hand and lashed a grin at the white haired mage.

"So glad you both like it! I made it _extra _special today!" Mira's eyes twinkled as she watched them drink the smoothie, and something about the look in her friend's eyes unsettled her. Mira had a knack of meddling and she _especially _loved meddling with people's love lives. That's why Lucy tried to be careful around Mira with Natsu, because the girl had a crazy idea that the two of them were destined to be together and she was ever so determined to set them up. Lucy wasn't _opposed_ to the idea of being with Natsu, he certainly wasn't revolting. And he was a great friend and cared a lot about the people around him. He, undoubtedly, was Lucy's best friend, and she cherished him deeply.

"Sis, you have a scheming face on..." Lisanna chastised and Lucy shot another glance at Mira. She was grinning at Lucy and Natsu as they drank their smoothie. Lucy pulled back from the drink for a moment and eyed the eldest Strauss sibling suspiciously.

"What do you mean by you made it 'extra special', Mira?" Lucy questioned, turning her suspicious gaze back down to the smoothie. Natsu apparently didn't have a care in the world as he eagerly gulped down the strawberry goodness. Lisanna, too, was sending worried glances at her sister who simply shrugged and smiled.

"A figure of speech! I just made it with_ lots_ of love for you two." Mira replied and Lucy frowned a bit. It wasn't the first time Mira had acted overly bubbly and strange around the pair of them.

"You better not be up to something, Mira," Lucy managed to catch Lisanna's quick whisper.

"What, you didn't poison it, did ya, Mira?" Natsu chuckled, finally contributing to the conversation. "It's just a smoothie, we have em all the time, Luce." Natsu's words eased her mind a bit; of course Mira wasn't going to literally put something in their drink to hurt them! What a silly thing to think.

"Right," Lucy giggled a bit and took another sip of the sweet drink. "It is yummy!" Mira just simply smiled and went on to cater to their other guild mates for lunch. The pair finished off their drink in comfortable silence and when finished, sat back happily.

"I can't believe we finished that," Lucy rested a hand on her stomach which was uncomfortably full.

"_I_ can't believe you need help finishing that." Natsu countered with a snicker and Lucy rolled her eyes. Lucy glanced up and caught Mira's gaze; the white haired woman quickly broke her stare with Lucy and went to help Macao. However, Lucy couldn't help but feel as if she was being watched by the take-over mage, and that made her skin crawl. It smelled a whole lot like 'Mira Meddling'.

"Lucy, you look really pretty," Natsu's voice startled her out of her thoughts, and sent a shocked look up at her best friend. He sat there with a look that matched Lucy's, and his cheeks and ears slowly, but steadily, turned pink. "U-uh, I mean-"

"Huh?" Lucy managed to splutter out and Natsu's face got even more red. Lucy had never seen him blush so hard, but she was too stunned by his words to even remotely register that.

"Yeah, I mean, you're always really pretty. And I really like how you smell, too." Natsu continued and his eyes widened while Lucy could physically feel her face combusting in embarrassment. Natsu's hand flew to his mouth and Lucy could feel heat radiating from him. "What the hell?"

"Well, I've always thought you were pretty cute, too. And you have the best smile," Lucy spoke before her brain could even catch up with what she was saying. She made a surprised squeak and clamped her hands over her mouth while Natsu's eyes, incredibly, bugged even more. "And you have such nice arms, heh." Lucy heard herself saying from behind her hands; she would have cried if she wasn't so bewildered.

The pair had caught the attention of Lisanna and Levy- Levy was near hysterics, but Lisanna's eyes flashed to Mira suspiciously.

"Wow, what's gotten into you two?" Levy mused and Lucy was sure they looked like a pair of tomatoes seated at the bar.

"Yeah, well your whole face is nice!" Natsu shot back, as if what Lucy had said was a challenge.

"Well, you have a nice butt!" Lucy countered, horrified.

"So do you!" Lucy choked out a half scream while Natsu looked like he was going to be sick.

"What the hell is going on?" Gajeel had joined Levy and was eyeing the pair as if they had grown two heads. Actually, Lucy would have much preferred to have grown a second head. She couldn't believe what was coming out of her mouth; these were her innermost thoughts for goodness sake!

"Mira, what in Earthland did you do?" Lisanna rounded on her sister who batted her lashes innocently at her younger sister.

"Nothing," Mira replied sweetly, "I just added an experimental ingredient is all." She shrugged as if it was no big deal, but Lucy could feel panic and frustration rising up in her.

"What ingredient?" Lucy managed to growl out between clenched teeth. She was desperately trying not to open her mouth in fear of what was to come out.

"Oh, just something I found interesting while I was out shopping for the guild," Mira explained sweetly while Lucy lost her patience. "A bit of a love potion."

"WHAT!" Lucy and Natsu both dared to cry out while their guild mates around them gasped. Lucy felt an inkling of relief since what they were saying just had to be side effects of the potion; nothing that wouldn't wear off within a few hours, hopefully.

"But don't worry, it says it only works if two people have strong feelings for each other." Mira grinned at Lucy, letting her words sink in. The look of realization seemed to pass over their guild mates' faces at the same time, while Lucy let Mira's words wash over her. Levy was near tears from holding in her giggles, while Gajeel gave Natsu a shit eating grin. Lucy and Natsu had managed to stay quiet for the time being, but for how long?

"What's going on here?" Erza approached the small group, Gray, Juvia, and Happy following behind her. "Is everything alright? We heard shouts from outside."

"Oh, for the love of..." Lucy ground out her words, staring at the bar top.

"What do you mean it only works if people have feelings for each other?" Natsu looked like he was sweating, and he was nervously tugging at his scarf. "W-why the hell are we have side effects?" Mira just quirked a brow at him and he swallowed hard. There was no way Lucy could look him in the eye, they had basically just proven to themselves, and an audience, that they have _feelings_ for each other.

"Perhaps it's because we're such good friends," Lucy offered and Natsu's slate green eyes slid over to her. "O-or not, because I think you're hot." Lucy's voice got low and sultry without her doing as she involuntarily leaned closer to Natsu. He stiffened, but drew his bar stool closer to her, a devious smirk sprouting on his lips.

"Oh, god, how far are they gonna go?" Gray choked out and Lucy's face burned. Natsu's grin faltered a bit, but stayed. Lucy felt her own lips curving into a sly grin; it was as if neither could control their own bodies.

"Wow, I didn't think it would work this well!" Mira genuinely looked surprised and almost giddy. This was probably the most invasive tactic that she had used yet. "I just wanted to see how 'in deep' you two were for each other." She tapped her finger to her chin in thought, and Lucy resisted the urge to scream.

"That's... One way to do it." Erza eyed the pair and then shot an angry glare at Mira. "_I _would have liked to have known about this plan!"

"Are you kidding!?" Lucy was able to break through for a moment and send a hysteric retort to Erza.

"I _told_ you already, get em drunk and they'd be climbing each other like animals." Cana said, pointing to her alcohol bottle for proof.

"Isn't the phrase, 'climb them like a tree'?" Levy looked like she was deep in thought about the stupid phrase, while Cana just shrugged.

"What the hell does it matter? We've been poisoned!" Natsu yelped and Happy giggled.

"I don't think so, buddy. I think you guys are finally just saying what should be said because you're in _love._" Happy sand the last word out and if Lucy could move to her own accord, she would have gotten up and strangled the cat.

"Mira, you don't happen to have anymore of that potion..?" Juvia whispered loudly to Mira and Gray shot her a withering look.

"Juvia, we are already dating." Gray sighed and the blue haired mage crossed her arms in response.

"True, I suppose I'm so used to trying to get your attention," Juvia giggled and Gray's ears turned pink. "But it would be nice for you to speak boldly like that." Juvia pouted and Gray's face reddened.

"Gray, sweet talk your girlfriend!" Erza scolded and Gray just sank into a nearby chair.

"No offense, but can we focus on reversing this!" Lucy cried, but leaned in towards Natsu once more. "I'm a little scared to see how far this goes..." Lucy whimpered and Natsu's blush deepened. Natsu brought a hand up to Lucy's face and brushed a few stray hairs off her cheek, then caressed it. Lucy felt herself lean into Natsu's touch.

"You're so beautiful." Natsu murmured, his eyes going soft. Lucy let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding; the warmth of his hand calmed her.

"Maybe it's not so bad, right?" Lucy whispered back, the line between what she was willingly saying and what the potion was making her say, blurring. Lucy found Natsu's other hand, and squeezed it.

"I guess it's true," Natsu began; Lucy thought he looked adorable when he was nervous. It wasn't something that she saw often. "What I said."

"Yeah," Lucy smiled a bit and reached up, brushing her thumb over his cheek. "I guess it would be true."

"Do we have to be here for this?" Gray complained, averting his eyes to the floor, and Gajeel grunted in agreement.

"You're the pervs giving us an audience." Natsu pointed out, his gaze never lifting from Lucy's face.

"How strong was this potion, Mira?" Lucy asked quietly, her head swimming and a warm buzz filling her belly.

"It's only as strong as the pair's feelings for each other." Mira explained, a happy grin on her face. Lucy thought it was ridiculously embarrassing to have an audience, but she couldn't focus on that at all. All she could see was Natsu, down to his soft, rosy hair, and full lips.

"I would do anything for you," Natsu murmured, a look of utter adoration crossing his face. "It's funny, I don't even feel weird about saying all this now." Natsu laughed lightly to himself and Lucy couldn't help but throw in a few giggles. Soon, the pair were giggling madly together, clutching on to each other in a half embrace.

"Y-you're my whole world," Lucy managed to get out in between gasps for breath. Natsu seemed to sober a bit, but an easy grin spread on his face. "You're my best friend and I love you."

A collective shuffling sounded around them as if their guild mates were finally going to give them some privacy. When Lucy swept her gaze back out at them, they seemed to be trying not to pay attention, though were clearly eavesdropping.

"I love you too, Lucy," Natsu grinned widely, "I think I have for a long time now. I wanna protect you for the rest of our lives."

"Get it!" Cana called, but even her crudeness couldn't ruin their moment. Emotions swirled within Lucy; she could still feel the burdening embarrassment that she started with, but she was now able to fully embrace what she really felt. She knew, deep down, that these feelings were true, and she was more than ecstatic to see Natsu having as strong of a reaction as she was.

"I would love that," Lucy admitted shyly, her face heating up a bit, but she didn't break his stare. "I can't believe you've felt this same way."

"You know I'm no good with words, Lucy..." Natsu trailed off, inching closer to Lucy.

"This is the most painful 'first kiss' moment I have ever witnessed," Erza huffed out, glaring at the pair.

"Maybe so, but I'm terrified to see what happens if they actually do." Gray shuddered and Natsu just grinned.

"Eesh, I'm not hanging out with you guys later!" Happy called over his shoulder as he flew off, but Lucy didn't waste time on being embarrassed.

"Maybe not, but you're good with showing how much you care through actions." Lucy pointed out and squeezed his hand once more. He responded by threading his fingers with hers on the bar top.

"I thought this was all another crazy act that this guild had to offer, but please excuse yourselves, there are children amongst us!" Carla's pitched voice cut through the murmuring of their guild mates.

"Carla..." Wendy whispered embarrassedly next to the Exceed, not looking at Natsu or Lucy. The only one with common decency.

"Oh yeah?" Natsu continued, a smirk plastered on his face once more. "What kind of actions?"

"Well," Lucy leaned in a little closer, her voice dangerously low. "You've protected me countless times, and have defended me, and helped me grow."

"How do ya know I wasn't just trying to 'cop a feel' as you put it?" Natsu's eyes glittered with mischief; their faces mere inches from one another.

"Because, that's not the Natsu I know." Lucy replied simply and Natsu's face grew serious.

"That's because you're everything to me, I'd never do anything to hurt you on purpose." He stroked her face again, and the slowly slid his hand from her cheek, down her neck, and settling on the crook between her shoulder and jaw.

"I know," Lucy grinned brightly, appreciating how true his words rang out. "If I asked you to do something-"

"I'd do anything for you." Natsu replied in a rough whisper and Lucy sent a sly grin up at him, looking at him through her eyelashes.

"Then, kiss me." Lucy barely breathed the words out, but Natsu heard her. His flush seemed to get brighter, and he stiffened for a moment, but with an almost feral grunt his lips were on hers in a moment. The kiss was hot and sweet and long, _long_ overdue. Natsu's hands gripped the sides of Lucy's face as if he feared that she would disappear from his grasp. He kissed her fast and fervently; it was exactly the type of kiss that Lucy had always imagined Natsu would give. It was wholly _Natsu_.

Lucy could feel his tough searing her, not painfully, but as if Natsu's emotions were burning through his body heat. All too soon, they broke apart, gasping a bit from lack of oxygen. They met each other's gaze slowly, but both broke out into wide, happy grins.

"Get outta the damn guild!" Gajeel growled, "No one wants to see you face fuc-" But Levy smacked Gajeel before he could finish his sentence.

"Oh-ho! I do!" Cana grinned devilishly at the pair and Erza's face was nearly as red as her hair.

"Perhaps you two should... Leave." Erza stated bluntly, looking anywhere but the two.

"You're place?" Natsu murmured to Lucy and she winked at him.

"Only if you use the door."

"Ooh, kinky." Natsu breathed out huskily, a cocky grin on his face as he scooped Lucy up and sped off towards the exit.

"Why the _hell _did we witness that?" Gray groaned after the pair burst through the front doors of the guild. "Mira, what. The. Hell."

"Mm, that was a much stronger reaction than I initially guessed." Mira laughed to herself. "Actually, the effects only last about five minutes, the rest was all them. They just didn't know it."

"Mira..." Lisanna chastised her sister once more, but a giggle also escaped her. "It's about time."

"Oh well, they might as well use the effects!" Mira giggled sweetly.

"Disgusting." Gray and Gajeel both replied.


End file.
